Bird Set Free
by ourheroregina
Summary: My entry for OQ Advent Calendar 2019. A little bit different arranged marriage AU.


Being a leader of a kingdom is rather exhausting; Regina Mills, the Queen of the Enchanted and Sherwood Forests, is experiencing every glorious and torturous moment of her reign. The endless meetings with villagers and nobles from nearby monarchies, the stacks of unfinished contracts that are piled up on her work desk - all of it drains her.

That's one of the reasons why Regina loves the winter season so much.

Although it's not the main reason why she likes the season, winters here are actually mesmerizing. During the last weeks of November, the temperatures fall below zero and the wind picks up. As soon as December begins, everything is hidden underneath a thick layer of fluffy snow, the narrow and pothole-covered roads of the kingdom become too difficult to pass.

The most beautiful view is from the Queen's chambers' balcony where the entire kingdom can be seen. The thick layers of snow covering dark green fir trees, the tiny houses and farms covered in white, the roads empty and quiet and covered in snow.

During this time of year, a guest rarely comes for a visit and balls are much more rare, and so finally Regina is left alone behind the walls of her own castle, hidden away from the world.

While the chilly weather, snow and rumbling winds impede the kingdom's vitality, Regina spends her days curled up in her favorite chair in front of the warm fireplace with a book in her lap, a glass of wine in hand, where all the problems of the kingdom suddenly seem far away and insignificant.

So, when the carriage enters the yard on the last evening of November, Regina is more than surprised. The winter hasn't shown its strong suit yet, but the snowfall has already begun, and the roads may still be passable, but soon everything will be buried under the snow.

It means that whoever decided to visit is going to stay here for a while.

More annoyed than surprised by the unexpected guest, she gets out of the comfort and warmth of her chair reluctantly and makes her way towards the window to see who's decided to disturb her life this time.

It's already dark outside – the sun barely makes its way up into the sky these days. It's too dark to recognize the carriage in the yard. Folding her arms across her chest, Regina waits impatiently until the guard stationed at the castle's entrance makes his way towards the guest, a candle in hand to light up the way.

Regina may not recognize her own carriage in the dark, but she will always recognize the black silhouette that gets out and makes its way into the castle.

It's Katherine. Her daughter.

Katherine was supposed to spend the week with her father at the other end of the kingdom, Sherwood Forest, before winter really began and then return back to the Enchanted Forest to spend the rest of the cold season with Regina. However, only two days have passed since she's left home and she's already returned, and from the rushed and rather rude way she storms past the guard, she seems to be in a _mood._

Concerned and confused by her sudden return, Regina makes her way out of her chambers and down the stairs. As soon as she reaches the hallway, she sees Katherine rushing towards the stairs with her head bowed down. She is staring at the floor, her face hidden by long dark locks and a hood.

All of a sudden, she crashes into her mother, making Regina lose her balance. She grabs the staircase just in time to stop herself from falling and hisses. The cold snow falls from Katherine's shining black coat onto Regina's dress and face, the hairs on her body standing on end immediately.

"Katherine!" Regina exclaims, both surprised and annoyed by the teenager's behavior.

Katherine doesn't reply, she doesn't even react to Regina's words. Instead she tries to walk past her mother, but Regina grabs her hand to stop her.

"Katherine, what happened?" Regina asks, raising her voice.

The teenager huffs out an annoyed breath before shaking Regina's hand off of hers. Regina has to bite her tongue to stop the need to scold her daughter. Instead, she waits patiently while Katherine pushes her hood down to reveal her dark chocolate eyes, which are full of tears. Her cheeks are slightly pink - from either crying or the chill of the weather, Regina cannot tell - but the look on her daughter's face still sends a stab of pain through her heart.

"Katherine? What's wrong?" Regina asks again, this time in a much calmer tone.

"Did you know?" Katherine whispers, looking down to the floor, a few tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Did I know what?"

"Did you know that Dad is arranging my marriage with some disgusting man?" she exclaims, her voice hitching at the end of the sentence and her face turning red.

_What?_

Completely stunned, Regina blinks once, then twice, until she finally manages to mutter, "What did you just say?"

"Oh, please," Katherine rolls her eyes. "Don't pretend that you did not know."

Shocked Regina leans against the staircase. Her husband is arranging their daughter's marriage without her knowledge?

"You promised me that I will marry for love. You promised that you will never do this to me, Mother. Guess you were lying."

"You'll have an arranged marriage over my dead body, do you hear me?" Regina states firmly, still confused. However, the confusion is slowly turning into burning rage. The bastard that is her husband is out of his goddamn mind. "Nobody is going to make you marry someone against your will; not your father, not that stupid council, no one."

Katherine laughs dryly, the sound echoing through the empty and quiet corridors. "You always say that, and yet the marriage is already arranged. The wedding is in a month."

"What?"

The word leaves her mouth before she can stop it, and Katherine's face turns into a twisted smile.

"Wonderful, right? You can start your dress fitting right away; otherwise it might not be finished in time," Katherine bites as she pushes past Regina and starts climbing up the stairs towards her own chambers.

When Katherine shuts the door behind her with a loud thud, Regina lets out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Tears of shock spring into her eyes, millions of thoughts running through her head.

She wants to scream, wants to break something, anything (most of all her lovely husband's nose), but instead she stays in the hallway, rooted to the spot, her hands shaking at her sides while she tries to process what the hell she's just heard.

(…)

Regina doesn't sleep that night.

When she finally collets herself, she makes her way straight to the workroom where she opens a bottle of strong whiskey. She empties one glass after another, and no matter how intoxicated she gets, she cannot come up with a reason for this stupid marriage arrangement. Their kingdom has money and power, the people love their leaders – they do love _him _and fear her – so what else does he need?

What's the reason behind this sudden arrangement?

Knowing that there's no way she will fall asleep tonight and that she might just lose her mind sitting here and waiting for something to happen, Regina grabs her coat and makes her way to the servants' quarters.

Half an hour later she's in the carriage on her way to Sherwood.

(…)

When Regina reaches her destination, it's already morning. The sun is still nowhere to be seen, but the darkness has already dissipated.

She's dozed off a few times during the long ride, but her head is still a little bit dizzy from all the liquid she consumed. However, it doesn't stop her from getting out of the carriage and storming into the castle as if she owns it (which she does, in a way).

"Your Majesty!"

The maids gasp as soon as Regina enters the castle. They bow quickly and then stare at her as if she was a ghost. It's not a surprise, though – after all, the last time Regina was here was more than fifteen years ago. She doesn't visit her husband often.

"Where is the King?" Regina asks, not bothering with the pleasantries.

"His Majesty is in the dining room."

Nodding her head in thanks, Regina makes her way towards the specified room. She might not have visited this castle in more than a decade, but she still remembers it like the back of her hand.

When she enters the dining room, she finds her husband sitting at the end of a long table, completely alone, only a half empty glass of wine in front of him. Isn't it too early to be drinking?

From what she can see, he hasn't changed much over the years. His sandy hair now has a few strands of grey within them, the dimples visible in his cheeks not only when he's smiling but also when he's deep in thought. There are tiny wrinkles around his eyes that weren't there when she left him.

Robin lifts his head as soon as she walks into the room, his ocean blue eyes turning wide when they meet hers.

"Regina?"

He seems genuinely surprised to see her there. He must be really stupid to think that she'll not show up at his doorstep when he does something like _this _without even asking what she thinks of it.

"Are you out of your goddamn mind?" Regina exclaims, anger boiling in her veins. Seeing him has awakened chaos within her.

Robin frowns at her sudden outburst and stands up while she storms towards him.

"What are you doing here?" he asks once she's standing in front of him.

He's so stupid, this bastard.

No verbal answer would be enough to express her anger so instead of replying, she slaps him, hard.

The sharp sound of skin meeting skin echoes throughout the huge room, drowning Regina's quiet hiss of pain as her palm burns, but the satisfaction she feels when Robin gasps in shock, his hand immediately coming up to cover his cheek, is worth it.

"What the hell?" he exclaims, his voice full of rage.

"You deserve so much more than a simple slap for what you did," she hisses, her palm itching to slap him again.

"What did I do to you?"

Regina cannot help but scoff, shaking her head in disbelief. He really is that stupid, isn't he?

"You're really asking what you did?" she asks, her voice low, threatening. "How dare you arrange our daughter's marriage with some bastard?"

Robin's eyes widen for a moment, his mouth opening to say something, but he must think better of it and closes it without saying a single word. He just stares at Regina, all of his anger vanishing from his face to be replaced by an emotionless expression.

"Yes, I did arrange Katherine's marriage," he finally says, his voice firm. "Our daughter is old enough to get married. I found a good match for her, so I see no reason for you to make such a big deal out of this. She's not a child anymore."

Without thinking Regina slaps him again.

He's lost his mind since the last time she's seen him.

Robin grabs her by the wrist and holds it tightly, his eyes now burning with anger, breathing raggedly. It doesn't scare Regina, though: it only fuels her anger, for he has no reason to be mad when he's the one ruining their daughter's life.

"If you do this again, I'll-"

"You'll what?" Regina hisses. "Slap me? Beat me? Lock me in a dungeon?"

She pulls her hand out of his hold and pushes at his chest, taking a step back. Her own breathing is harsh, her hands shaking from all the emotions.

For a few moments they just breathe heavily, staring at each other, until Robin inhales deeply, takes a step closer to her and states, "The marriage has already been arranged. There's no turning back now. In a month, our daughter will become Prince James' wife and our kingdoms will be merged."

Prince James? That man is their age.

"Are you insane?"

"Regina, it's settled." Robin says firmly. "You will not change my mind. Nobody will."

"This is not how this works. I'm her mother. I have a say in this."

"Nobody will care about what you think."

That man has a death wish.

"Robin, if you do this, I swear to God I'll end you," she warns, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm not afraid of you."

"But you really, really should be."

For a moment, they stand in front of one another staring straight into each other's eyes, but then Robin breaks the eye contact and turns around to walk away.

Regina will find a way to destroy this arrangement. She doesn't doubt it. If it comes to it, she is not afraid to get blood on her hands; nothing is going to stop her from fighting for her daughter's freedom.

The most disturbing thing in this whole catastrophe is Robin's attitude towards the topic. They've never been a family because Regina left Sherwood castle when Katherine was still a newborn, but Robin has fought hard to be involved in their daughter's life. He loved her, spoiled her and always gave her whatever her little heart desired, and now he's ruining her life in every possible way.

Something is not right here.

"Do you love Katherine?" Regina asks quietly.

Her sudden question makes Robin stop. He turns around and replies without hesitation, "Of course I do."

"Then cancel this stupid arrangement!" Regina exclaims.

"I can't!"

"You can't? Seriously?"

Suddenly she feels like tearing all of her hair off of her head.

How can he be so ignorant?

"Her life depends on your decision. Let her be free. Don't do this to her." Regina asks, trying to keep her voice as calm as possible. "I thought you were better than our parents, I thought you actually cared about Katherine's happiness, but I was wrong."

Shaking her head, Regina sighs and turns around to leave.

Fine.

If he doesn't want to do this the easy way, Regina is not afraid to take the bumpy road. He'd better get prepared for the wrath that's coming his way.

"I don't want to ruin Katherine's life, but I cannot cancel that stupid arrangement."

The unexpectedly defeated tone of his voice makes Regina turn around at the last minute. She blinks, confused.

"You can't? Fine, tell me who I have to pay a visit to and all of this will be over. We'll forget it and move on."

"You can't."

"Why?" she asks, getting annoyed. What game is he playing here?

Robin sighs and sits down.

"Robin, what the hell is going on?" She asks, crossing her arms over her chest. She's getting tired of his games. "I don't have time for your emotional breakdown."

Robin turns to look at her and admits, "I have some unfinished business with King George. If Katherine doesn't marry his son James, someone innocent is going to be hurt."

She frowns in confusion, "What?"

"He has my son."

Regina blinks one time, two times, and then a few more while she tries to understand what she's just heard.

Robin notices her reaction and sighs. "I have a son, alright? He's four and that bastard found out about him, kidnapped him, and now is threatening me. If we don't merge our kingdoms, he will kill my boy."

Regina subconsciously leans against the table.

Robin has a son?

The child is in danger?

What?

"George wants our lands, Regina. He's wanted them for a long time, and he's been offering to arrange that damn marriage for so long, but I kept refusing. But now that he has my child, I cannot do that anymore," Robin tells her, but Regina barely hears him due to her shock. "The only way to save Roland is for Katherine to marry James."

"That's the only _legal_ way for our kingdoms to merge." Regina says to herself, her mind still clouded.

Robin huffs in desperation, putting his head in his hands. "I have to sacrifice my daughter's freedom to save my son from death."

"You don't have to do that. I'm going to kill him."

Regina pushes herself off of the table, but Robin grabs her hand and stops her. When she turns towards him, he shakes his head, his eyes pleading for her to listen to him.

She sighs and nods her head, sitting beside him, trying to process all the information she's just heard.

It takes a while for Regina to recover from the unexpected shock – and the lack of sleep and consumption of alcohol don't help her think at all.

When she collects her thoughts, she clears her throat and looks at Robin.

"We need to save Roland before the wedding."

"I know. That's what I'm planning to do, but until then we have to pretend that all of this is real, that Katherine is actually going to marry James."

Regina nods her head. Good. She can get on with this plan, they can pretend, but there's no way she'll actually let her daughter be tied to that family.

"You have to tell Katherine the truth. If you are really going to put her through all of that, she deserves to know why you're doing this to her," Regina says in a firm, insistent tone.

"No, Regina, I-"

"No buts, Robin. You owe this to her."

Her voice leaves no room for argument and finally Robin nods his head and sighs.

What a huge mess they've fallen into.

(...)

It takes some time for Regina to process everything that she's found out.

She isn't hurt that Robin had a secret child that she knew nothing about; after all, they've never actually been a family, a loving husband and wife. What's causing the biggest shock is the realization that if they don't come up with a serious plan right away, Katherine might actually have to marry James.

The thought makes Regina sick.

After having a short discussion about what they are going to do now, Regina insists that Robin has to come to the Enchanted Forest and explain everything to Katherine. Their daughter is a very emotional young woman, and she is stubborn and brave and who knows what plan she can come up with to escape this nonsense marriage.

So as soon as Regina returns to the palace that evening, she makes her way to Katherine's room. After knocking on the door a few times and receiving no reply, Regina walks in.

Katherine is laying in the middle of the bed still in her nightdress. The room is rather dark, illuminated only by the fireplace, but when she turns to look at the intruder Regina notices her bloodshot eyes and flushed cheeks. Her dark long hair is knotted all around her head from laying there all day long.

It shatters Regina's heart to see her daughter like this.

The Mills women aren't known for giving up when things get tough. They are fierce and strong and independent, and Katherine is no exception, but the betrayal of the man she loved the most must have really scarred her.

Swallowing the sudden lump in her throat, Regina makes her way further into the chamber. She lies down on the bed beside Katherine and wipes a few wild dark strands away from her face. The teenager doesn't react to her mother's touch, she just blinks her eyes, a few tears rolling down her cheeks.

"How could he do this to me?" Katherine whispers suddenly, her voice trembling.

Regina swallows hard, her own eyes filling with tears.

She's so familiar with the feeling that her daughter is going through right now. She can still feel the emptiness within her own heart every time she remembers her beloved father telling her that her life is no fairytale and that she has to marry a man they chose for her like any other woman in their kingdom.

"I'm so sorry."

Robin's voice echoes through the quiet room and Katherine's head snaps towards the doorway immediately, her eyes turning wide. She sits up immediately, quickly wiping tears from her cheeks, her face turning into a hard expression.

Damn it!

Robin was supposed to wait outside until Regina explained what is going on. Only then, when the fire was extinguished, was he supposed to enter.

And he has to ruin everything.

Like always.

Idiot!

"What are you doing here?" Katherine manages to ask, her voice shaking. Before Robin has a chance to reply, though, she exclaims, "Get out! I don't want to see you anymore!"

"Katherine-"

"No-"

"Enough!"

Regina's firm voice quiets both father and daughter. Quickly she turns to Robin and gives him a look that lets him know he's just ruined everything and he manages to shrug sheepishly. For a moment, Regina feels like strangling him, but then she inhales shakily and turns to Katherine.

"Your father has to tell you something."

"I don't want to hear anything from him." Katherine shakes her head immediately. "I don't even want to see him ever again. He's dead to me."

"Please, just listen to me, darling," Robin begs walking further into the room.

Katherine gets up from bed and runs towards the doorway, away from them, and Regina cannot help but roll her eyes. Her daughter can be a real drama queen (just like her mother, though she'll never admit that).

Robin, however, blocks her way.

"I have a son," he says, without wasting any minute.

"What?"

"Yes. Please, listen to me. He's in trouble."

Katherine blinks her eyes a couple of times, must be trying to digest the information. Then she finally says, "I don't care about your bastard."

"Katherine!"

"He's an innocent child, a four-year-old boy who did nothing wrong in this world," Robin tells Katherine, looking straight into her eyes. "You might not care about him, but he doesn't deserve to die."

Katherine purses her lips. "Fine, he doesn't deserve that," she says after thinking a while. "What does this have to do with what you're doing to me? You have a son, so you want to get rid of your daughter so he inherits all of your and mom's kingdom?"

"What? Of course not!" Robin exclaims. "How could you even think like that?"

"Then explain to me what is happening here."

"He was kidnapped by King George. If you don't marry James and we don't merge our lands, Roland will die."

Katherine's hands fall to her sides as her mouth parts in surprise.

Taking the chance, Regina cuts in, "Your father and I will come up with a plan to free Roland. However, until then there's no other way but for us to pretend that this wedding is actually happening."

"Just for a few weeks," Robin assures Katherine, taking a step closer to her. "Just till we come up with a plan, okay? Then you'll be free."

Katherine blinks her eyes and finally manages to whisper, "You are not making me marry that man?"

"No. I would never force you to do something like that."

It seems to break the dam. Tears start falling down Katherine's cheeks as she walks up to Robin and falls into his arms. He quickly wraps her in his embrace, his features finally relaxing, eyes closed as he holds his daughter in his arms.

Knowing that both of them need some time together to fix what's been almost shattered into pieces, Regina quietly gets up from the bed and walks out of the room. After closing the door behind her, she makes her way straight to the work room and pours herself a glass of whiskey that she empties in one huge gulp.

She really needs a strong drink after a day like this.

(…)

"The maids said I'd find you here."

Robin's voice snaps Regina out of her thoughts, making her turn away from the mesmerizing white forest that she can see through the window. He walks into the room and makes himself feel at home, pouring himself a glass, emptying it in one gulp (just like she did with her first) before refilling it and joining her by the window.

"How is she?" Regina asks, looking at him.

"Still emotional, but everything's going to be okay, I think," Robin says, a tiny teasing smile making its way onto his face. "She tends to be just as dramatic as her mother, you know."

Regina rolls her eyes and turns away from him. She's not in the mood for teasing.

When she doesn't return the smile, Robin clears his throat and takes a sip of his whiskey. For a few moments they stay in silence, both of them completely lost in thought until Robin says, "Thank you, Regina. I know you don't have to do any of this for Roland and I really appreciate that you are trying to help."

Regina purses her lips.

As if she could let an innocent child get hurt.

Not receiving an answer, Robin sighs. "So, what are we going to do?"

"I don't know, Robin. I honestly don't know."

(...)

When Regina enters the dining room the next morning, Robin is already sitting at the table. He greets her quietly, the lines of worry on his face giving away that he didn't get much sleep, just like Regina.

They sit in silence, waiting for breakfast to be served when Katherine enters the room. She's changed out of her nightdress, which is a huge surprise since she spends half of her days wandering around the castle in her night clothes, too lazy to dress up. She looks much better than the day before; her eyes are still a little puffy, but there's a spark in them again, a spark that calms Regina's heart just a little bit.

She'll be all right.

"Good morning," Katherine says as she sits down in her usual place. "Can you believe that it is actually the first time in my whole life that the three of us are having a meal at the same table?"

"That is not true," Robin shakes his head.

"It is! I don't even remember seeing you two in the same room until yesterday!"

"We did have meals together when your mother was still living with me."

"How old was I back then, one month old?" Katherine asks, arching an eyebrow.

"The worst days of my life," Regina mutters under her nose, making Katherine chuckle and Robin roll his eyes.

At that moment maids enter the room with trays and bowls of food. Once the meal is served they excuse themselves, leaving the royal family to have their first breakfast together in a long, long time.

"Was living with Dad actually so bad?" Katherine asks suddenly, making Regina look up from her plate to Katherine, then to Robin.

When she was younger, Katherine had always asked questions about their life together, about why Regina left Robin and why the princess didn't have a normal family like any other child. But then she grew up and learned more about marriages that were arranged, and the questions died.

It seems now that she has both of her parents in the same room her curiosity is back.

"She hated every minute of it," Robin says, staring at Regina. There's a grin on his face, though, a grin which tells a whole different story. They might have hated each other back in the day, but they did have fun. "That's why she ran away the first chance she got!"

"Don't pretend that you weren't happy about it," Regina bites back, narrowing her eyes. She can still remember the ecstatic expression on his face when she told him she was finally leaving.

Robin was probably even happier that day than Regina was.

Katherine has already heard the story of how their marriage was arranged by their parents when they were only sixteen. Regina's mother Cora had always dreamt about merging Enchanted and Sherwood forests, and as soon as the opportunity arose, she took it. Poor Cora didn't get to enjoy the vast lands for long, though, for she died three years after marrying off her daughter for money.

Regina and Robin hated each other from the moment they met and it hasn't changed, not even when their fights led them to furious make-outs that ended with Katherine being born. They were young and stupid, and both so stubborn that there was no way things could ever work out between the two of them. They were going to burn everything around them, and Robin's parents saw that, so when both of the older Mills died, they let Regina go and live in her childhood palace.

That's how Regina left the Sherwood castle many years ago with a baby in her arms and finally found her freedom.

She's changed and matured during those years, so when she looks at Robin now, she doesn't feel so much hatred for him anymore. If she actually thinks about it, she realizes that maybe, just maybe, she had a crush on him back in the day and if she wasn't so determined to fight against the stupid traditions of their world, maybe she would have even fallen for him.

But she's glad she didn't. She's glad she got the life that she has now, she's glad that she's gotten her freedom, that she's never been caged.

"So, what's our plan? What are we going to do about this whole marriage thing?" Katherine asks after finishing her breakfast.

Her words have both Robin and Regina looking up from their plates with wide eyes. They might not get along but one thing is clear – whatever they are going to do to save Roland, Katherine is not going to be involved.

"It doesn't concern you," Regina says nonchalantly, continuing to eat her breakfast.

"What?"

"Your mother is right," Robin agrees. "You're not going to do anything."

Katherine narrows her eyes at her parents. "I'm already involved. My future depends on how well this plan works out and you're going to keep me blindsided? This is stupid!" she grumbles, crossing her arms over her chest, her lips pursing. "I'm not going to sit back and do nothing."

Regina sighs. Sometimes she really wishes that her daughter wasn't so similar to her parents.

"We should really start thinking about the plan." Regina says to Robin, completely ignoring Katherine's piercing gaze. "After all, it's not like we have anyone else to help since just the three of us know the truth and –"

"Actually, there are more people who know about this," Robin admits, scratching the back of his neck. When Regina raises her eyebrows, he quickly elaborates, "I have a… a group of friends who were watching after Roland all this time. They will help us. If we want to discuss some plans, we can do it with them. They will not let us do this alone; they care about Roland a lot, too."

Well, that was unexpected.

She's not a huge fan of people, but if it means getting more help with all this nonsense, she might endure the agonizing human contact.

Regina sighs. "Fine. When can they come to discuss the plan?"

"Oh no, darling," Robin chuckles, and Regina narrows her eyes – she's not in the mood for jokes right now. Robin seems to get that so he becomes serious, stating, "They will not come here, _we _will have to go to them."

(…)

It turns out that the group of friends that Robin has mentioned before is not just a simple group of men who hang out together; they have a name – the Merry Men. Regina knows them, has heard stories from the villagers about the band of men who steal from the rich and give to the poor, and has even heard about their leader _Robin Hood _who, it turns out, is her husband.

Maybe Robin isn't as stupid, arrogant and selfish as she always thought.

On the way to this strange Merry Men's camp, Regina doesn't say a word. She keeps her mouth shut, annoyed that Robin made her leave the warmth of the palace and travel to God knows where to meet his thieving friends – truth be told, she's pretty sure that if she were to open her mouth to speak, her teeth would clatter.

But she must admit that one part of her is incredibly curious to meet these strange men.

"You're shivering," Robin points out suddenly and Regina cannot help rolling her eyes.

"Thank you very much for telling me, I didn't know that," she says, gritting her teeth. She tugs her furs closer around herself and tries to think about something else, anything but this freezing cold that is making her cold all the way to her bones.

It turns out that they can't ride their horses to the camp, so they leave the animals a few miles away and start walking between the thickly growing trees. Riding horses was rather easy, for the main roads were somewhat passable, but walking through the forest where no sane human being has walked is insanity.

The snow gets into Regina's boots and wets her feet, and it isn't long before she loses her balance and falls face first into the fluffy snow.

"I hate you," she murmurs while Robin helps her get up. The idiot has the audacity to laugh at her.

They don't talk much since all of their energy is used to walk through the huge snowdrifts. It feels like it takes forever to reach the camp, and Regina is pretty sure that she would never make it back to civilization without Robin's help.

"Robin!"

"Look who's here!"

A few men gathered around the tiny fire greet them as soon as they step into the camp. They shake hands and hug Robin while Regina stands behind him awkwardly, soaked to the bone, her teeth chattering again.

After greeting Robin, the men take a look at Regina, confused expressions on their faces until Robin explains that he's told her the truth about Roland and that she's going to help. They still glance at her distrustfully, but offer her a hot cup of tea that she takes gladly and a change of clothes – she refuses that, there's no way she'd ever wear something like that.

Once introductions have been made and everyone is caught up on what they managed to find out about Roland's whereabouts (which is nothing), all of them sit down around the fire.

"First, we need to figure out where Roland is being kept and then we can start working on some sort of plan," one of Robin's friends, John, says, making Regina roll her eyes – she didn't make it all the way here to discuss the obvious thing.

"The best opportunity to search the castle and George's lands would be during the engagement announcement," Mulan, the only woman in the band, says.

"What? The engagement party?" Regina asks, confused.

"Yeah, I must've forgotten to tell you that we have to host an engagement party where we will tell the kingdom about the merge of your lands." Robin tells her, smiling guiltily.

Regina frowns, wondering when she would have found out about this engagement party if it wasn't for Mulan, but doesn't say anything.

The rest of the evening is spent discussing the details of the search, the duration of the engagement party, and all the other things concerning their plan.

Robin and Regina leave the camp with a solid plan.

(…)

It's completely dark when Robin and Regina finally make their way back. Regina tugs her coat tightly around her to shield herself from the heavily falling snow and keeps following Robin, trying not to trip every two steps.

When they finally make it to their horses, Regina feels exhausted. Going through the darkness of the forest while it's covered in snow turns out to be really good exercise. Wet from snow with frozen cheeks and nose, shivering, Regina climbs on her horse Rocinante.

Before she can even realize what is happening, Rocinante shakes, making Regina lose her balance and fall down.

The fluffy snow on the roads softens the fall, but she still hisses in pain when her head hits the cold ground, her arm twisting in an awkward way and making a _crack_.

"Regina!"

Robin jumps off of his horse and is beside her in seconds, gathering her carefully into his arms. Regina groans when he touches her, trying to wriggle away from him, but manages to only let a weak groan when she moves her arm, twisting it again.

"Don't touch me," she growls, gritting her teeth when Robin lifts her up a bit.

Robin rolls his eyes.

"Don't be such a drama queen," Robin admonishes playfully, ignoring her and lifting her up from the frozen ground.

His audacity to joke with her is beyond Regina. She's so damn ready to bite his head off.

Despite her best efforts to contain her pained gasp, it still breaks past her lips when Robin sets her on her feet. She's a little bit wobbly, her wrist aflame, head pounding, clothes soaked. Tears of frustration form at the corners of her eyes, but she rapidly blinks, pulling away from Robin's supporting arm.

"Are you hurt?" Robin asks while she limps to Rocinante, who had walked away while she was wallowing in snow.

"I'm fine," she hisses, trying to get back on the horse.

However, she presses her injured hand too hard and sucks in her breath again, tears of pain falling from her eyes.

"Come here."

All of a sudden Robin is by her side again. His hand falls on her shoulder as he leads her towards his horse, completely ignoring her protest. "Can you shut up for a moment?" he finally groans, sighing in desperation. "You're hurt and all I'm trying to do is help you. I have no intention of sleeping in the forest, I think you don't either, so why don't you suck it up and let me help you get home in one piece?"

Regina narrows her eyes at him, but doesn't argue anymore.

Robin helps Regina climb on his horse and then surprises her by climbing behind her. He wraps one of his arms around her while he takes the reins with the other, and despite her best efforts, Regina inhales shakily.

With Rocinante walking behind them, they make their way back to the castle.

Robin's chest is pressed to Regina's back, his arms holding her close to him, and suddenly Regina's burning inside. She's still shivering from the frigidity of her clothes, but there's a strange tingling in her stomach, one that she blames either on the unfortunate trauma or the first human connection she's had in the last few years.

Trying to distract herself from both inappropriate thoughts about her husband and the pain, Regina clears her throat and breaks the silence between them.

"Who's Roland's mother?" Regina asks quietly.

"Marian."

"Marian?" Regina gasps in surprise, turning to look over her shoulder at Robin. She almost loses her balance and Robin's arm tightens around her, bringing their bodies even closer. "My maid Marian?"

"Yes," he nods his head and there's a smile on his face; a tiny one, but his lips are definitely curled up.

Regina blinks, stunned. Marian has lived in the Mills palace since she was a little girl. Her mother worked in the castle and so did Marian once she was older. She was Regina's maid, and when Regina moved to Sherwood, she did, too.

When Regina moved back to the Enchanted Forest, Marian stayed. And only now does Regina realize why Robin was so insistent that the maid stayed at their palace.

He fell in love with her.

"Where is she now?" Regina asks.

"She passed," Robin replies, his voice so quiet, barely above a whisper.

Shocked, Regina turns to look at him again, but Robin is staring ahead of him, his eyes trained on the snowy road. Sighing, she looks away from him and closes her eyes, her mind running wild with questions.

A few minutes later, her head falls onto his shoulder as exhaustion finally wins and Regina falls asleep.

(…)

"Mom, what happened?" Katherine asks, jumping from the chair in the guest room when she sees Robin carrying Regina into the castle.

When they returned back to the castle and Robin woke her up, Regina was adamant that she needed to get away from him – somehow being so close to him made her feel _uncomfortable_. However, once she jumped off the horse and started walking back to the castle, she had to stop – it turned out her wrist wasn't the only injured body part; her leg felt sore too.

And of course, Robin was there to witness Regina hissing. Before she even realized what was happening, she was in his arms, being carried into the castle.

"Your father is being overdramatic," Regina says, rolling her eyes.

"She fell from the horse," Robin tells Katherine.

There's real chaos in the room then: the maids are gasping and running in and out of the room to get anything that could make their Queen feel better, Robin argues with Regina until he finally insists that he's going to bring a healer despite the horrible weather while Katherine just stares worriedly at her from the other side of the bed.

Once the maids bring her some relaxing tea and secure an ice pack around her ankle and injured wrist, which has now turned a shade of purple, they excuse themselves and leave the room. Once left alone (almost alone; Katherine is still sitting at the edge of the bed quietly), Regina sighs in relief and finally lets her eyes close for a moment.

"Dad seemed genuinely worried about you today," Katherine says after a while, breaking the silence.

Regina cannot help but chuckle. He was acting as if she was dying.

"The look on his face…" Katherine trails off, shaking her head. "It was the first time I've ever seen him like this. It makes me think that… he actually cares about you a lot."

Regina rolls her eyes. Katherine has never been one to believe in true love and hope speeches, but it seems that seeing her parents together for the first time has really messed with her mind.

"Your father does not love me, and never has. Neither have I," Regina tells her, taking her hand in hers and squeezing it.

For a moment Katherine sits in silence, lost in her own thoughts. She then asks quietly, "Was your marriage really that awful?"

"No, it wasn't." Regina admits truthfully. It wasn't as terrible as it could've been. "But I wouldn't wish to relive it."

(…)

It's already dawn when Robin finally returns with a healer. He's completely soaked by now, his hair a bird nest, clothes glued to his skin. After checking up on Regina, the healer states that she has a broken wrist and a sprained ankle.

Regina only groans.

From the look on Robin's face, she already knows that the upcoming weeks are going to be hell with his overprotective nature.

(…)

Regina spends the whole week in bed – by Robin's order. It makes her blood boil, makes her want to throw everything and punch him, for she's not used to doing nothing. But at the end of the week, she finally starts to enjoy it.

The engagement announcement is scheduled for the weekend and Regina plays her patient card when they need to decorate the castle. She hates balls, hates decorating even more, so when Robin groans and complains about all the planning he has to do, Regina just grins.

They grow closer that week. Katherine spends more time with Regina, talking and discussing what they will do once Roland is saved. Robin joins them in the evenings – he insisted on staying at Regina's palace – and the three of them spend the evening playing card games or just talking.

For the first time in their lives they feel like a real family.

(…)

Regina looks at herself in the mirror and frowns. She's chosen such a beautiful velvet dress and let the maids curl her hair and do her makeup, but the stupid thick bandage wrapped around her wrist ruins the whole deal.

Huffing, she turns away from the mirror and walks out of the room to check on Katherine. The younger woman is anxiously running her hands over the long black skirt of her dress. Regina walks up to her and takes her hands in hers, stopping the anxious motion.

"Don't be nervous," Regina says as calmly as possible. Deep down, her own heart is threatening to jump out of her chest due to her realization that this stupid engagement party makes all of this hell kind of real.

Katherine only glares at her mother before both women leave the room to greet the guests in the ballroom.

The room is full of people; all nobles from the close kingdoms came to the Winter Ball, knowing well that the winter season isn't the only reason the Locksley - Mills family is reunited. People are smiling, laughing, drinking, and Regina inhales deeply – she hates this ball already.

She empties her first glass of the night before she even finishes walking downstairs. Robin meets them at the end of the stairs and after complimenting his wife and daughter's dresses, the three of them walk towards the most important guests of the night – King George and his precious son James.

Regina wants to throw up the moment she sees them.

Bastards.

"George, James," Regina nods her head as politely as she can at the men standing in front of her.

"It's nice to finally see you again, Regina," James says, smiling at her. Regina forces a smile onto her face – she wishes to strangle that bastard.

They talk for a short while until finally Robin walks to the throne and clears his throat, gaining everyone's attention. Regina joins him, standing beside him with Katherine, James and George. The nobles cheer at the King and Queen, obviously excited to see the two of them together after so many years, and Regina can already see the gossip spreading.

Oh, how she hates these people.

Robin announces the engagement and the merge of the kingdoms and while part of the crowd cheers, the other is glaring at the royal family doubtfully. The drinks help to ease the worries of those people, though, and soon everyone is cheering again.

The music starts to play and James asks Katherine to dance with him. Regina watches as her daughter leaves with that man, thinking that if their plan doesn't work out and they don't find out anything about Roland until the wedding, Regina will kill James herself so that Katherine doesn't have to marry that idiot.

"Can I have this dance, milady?"

Robin's voice snaps Regina out of her thoughts. Blinking, she realizes that he's standing right in front of her, smiling sheepishly, a hand stretched out for her. Regina rolls her eyes at him, but places her uninjured hand into his palm and lets him lead her to the dance floor.

The music is slow, all the dancing couples twirling slowly, swaying together. Regina puts her hand on his shoulder, the injured one held in his, and it's uncomfortable, but it'll be a good image for the nobles; after all, they have to seem united right now.

However, Robin notices her discomfort rather quickly.

"Come here," he whispers into the tiny space between their faces. He surprises her by wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer.

"What are you doing?" she asks, confused.

"Your wrist is hurting," he whispers, and tugs her even closer. Regina shakes her head, trying to pull away, but Robin whispers, "I can see that you're in pain. Let me make it a little bit more bearable."

Sighing in annoyance, Regina wraps her arms around his waist, and it might not be the most comfortable position for her broken wrist, but it's definitely better than before. The position pushes them even closer to one another, their chests touching with each deep breath (every breath she takes is deep since the moment his hands landed on her lower back).

Regina has never loved Robin.

She did feel attracted to him, though. She was young and confused when they married, and when she found out that he was just as fierce as she was, she loved to fight him. She doesn't know when the hatred turned into passion, but only a few months after their marriage they were all over each other. It ended as quickly as it began, because soon Regina found out that she was pregnant, everybody was over the moon and it seemed that she had fulfilled her part of the deal as a wife and a queen.

Who knows what could have happened between them if she hadn't gotten pregnant so quickly?

Perhaps she would have fallen for him.

Unable to help herself, she watches his face. She now realizes that he's changed so much since the last time they spoke. The stubborn and ignorant lad has turned into a rather protective man and a loving father. He's grown so much, and so has she.

There's a flutter in her stomach that makes her cheeks flush from embarrassment. She shouldn't be thinking about him like that, yet here she is, staring at his lips that are so close and so tempting.

What is happening to her?

Thanks to all the Gods above, Robin is too busy staring at Katherine and James over her shoulder to notice how she stares at him. She quickly blinks and looks away, forcing her mind away from him and back on Katherine and this whole mess.

It's going to be a long night.

(…)

When the clocks strike midnight, the majority of the guests have already left the ball. Regina is getting more and more anxious since none of the Merry Men have shown up yet, and judging by the way Robin keeps turning his glass in his hands, he's just as worried. If none of the men have shown up yet, it means that they either haven't found anything or have been killed.

It doesn't take much longer until George stands up too, declaring that he's leaving as well.

"They can't leave," Katherine whispers to Regina while George makes his way toward Robin, thanking him for the wonderful ball. The idiot has the audacity to smile at him, while Robin just clenches his jaw in return, and Regina hopes that he'll not punch the idiot.

"Show James around the castle," Regina suddenly says to Katherine.

Katherine's eyes widen in shock as she gasps, "What?"

"I hate this as much as you do, but, please, we need to keep them here for a little bit longer and that's the only thing I can think of right now," Regina admits, squeezing her daughter's hand. "Please, Katherine."

Katherine inhales shakily, but nods her head. Reluctantly she stands up and makes her way toward James, but all of a sudden, Robin grabs their daughter's hand and squeezes.

"John's here," he whispers, motioning to the entrance with his head.

The sigh of relief Regina lets out is rather loud, but nobody seems to notice. Katherine sighs as well and plops down back in her chair.

(...)

When George and James finally leave the palace, Robin, Regina and Katherine make their way to the library. John is sitting at the desk with a glass of whiskey in his hand, a plate full of sweets stolen from the ball in front of him.

Regina cannot help but roll her eyes. This man is an actual child.

"Did you find Roland?" Robin asks as soon as the door is closed behind them, his voice laced with anxiety.

John nods his head, a triumphant smile spreading across his face.

Regina lets out a breath she didn't know she has been holding.

They've found him.

Finally, some good news.

However, the smile disappears from John's face as soon as it appeared.

"He's being kept in the dungeons under the castle," John reveals. "There were no guards around the cell, however, it seems that the entry is protected by some charms or magic." When he says the last sentence, he turns to look at Regina.

Magic. Oh, how she hates that word.

Many years ago there were rumors that Cora Mills, her mother, was a witch, and, of course, John must have heard that and assumes that these suppositions are true and that Regina has inherited some of those powers. Well, he's not completely wrong.

"I know someone who can help us," Regina says finally, shifting her weight from one leg to another. She ignores the look of surprise on John's face. "I have a friend who deals with charms. She might be able to create something to break the protection."

"Aunt Mal!" Katherine interrupts right on time, and Regina nods her head.

"Then it's settled." Robin says, his voice firm and determined. "As soon as Regina gets us the charms to undo the protection, we are breaking in."

(…)

That night Regina cannot fall asleep. All events of the day keep turning and repeating in her head over and over again, preventing her from finding rest. When lying in bed becomes unbearable, she gets up and starts pacing back and forth, stops for a few moments to look out the window at the heavily falling snow, and then continues her pattern.

Annoyed by her thoughts, she huffs, walks out of her chambers and makes her way to the kitchen. Perhaps an herbal tea will help to calm her nerves.

After making herself a cup of the steaming hot drink, she makes her way back to her room. She glances at Katherine's door, wondering whether or not her daughter managed to calm down enough to get some sleep – after all, it'd been an even more emotionally draining day for her than it was for Regina.

Unsettled by the thought, Regina decides to check up on her.

When she enters the room quietly, her eyes widen in shock – the bed is empty, the sheets untouched and Katherine is nowhere to be seen. However, the window is wide open, the frosty air from outside flowing into the room, making the hairs of Regina's body stand on end.

Where the hell is Katherine?

Anxiously, Regina walks to the window and looks around. It's pitch dark outside, and no matter how much she narrows her eyes, Regina cannot see anything except the shadows of the trees.

Her first instinct is to wake Robin up and go search for their daughter, but instead of panicking, Regina closes the window a bit to stop the frost from getting inside and forces herself to sit down on the bed.

Katherine is her mother's daughter, and if Regina knows anything about her, she must have sneaked out.

With her heart in her throat, thoughts running wildly in her head, Regina closes her eyes and inhales deeply.

If Katherine doesn't return before dawn, Regina will alert everyone.

Until then, she waits.

(…)

It's almost dawn when a rustling sound wakes Regina from her unexpected nap. Alarmed, she gets up from the bed and makes her way toward the window.

Katherine's head, covered by a dark hood and a thick layer of snow, protrudes outside the window until she pushes at the glass and the window opens wide again, letting a wave of frost in. Groaning, she leans over the window frame and falls onto the floor, a bunch of snow falling from her and covering the ground.

When Katherine finally stands up, Regina is standing right in front of her, her arms crossed over her chest, lips pressed into a thin line.

"Mom!" Katherine gasps, her eyes comically wide.

"Where have you been?" Regina exclaims, not able to control her emotions. It's been such a long and exhausting day that she can lose her temper, right? "Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

Katherine looks down, ashamed, and mutters a quiet "sorry, Mom."

Shaking her head, Regina rolls her eyes and then helps Katherine get out of the soaked coat and her obviously wet boots. She orders her to change quickly into warm clothes while she goes and makes her a cup of tea to warm up.

When Regina returns, Katherine is already changed into her nightdress, sitting under the covers. Her cheeks are still flushed from the cold, and as Regina walks closer to her bed and sits down on the edge of it, she notices her slightly pink and swollen lips.

It's definitely not from the cold weather.

"Are you seeing someone?" Regina asks bluntly, giving Katherine a cup of tea.

The princess almost spills the tea all over herself at the unexpected question and shakes her head.

"No, mom-" she stutters, making Regina roll her eyes again – the answer to that question is obvious.

"You know you can tell me everything, Katherine," Regina reminds her. That's something that she's never had herself, but made sure to remind her daughter that she will always have a mother who listens and understands her. "I will support you no matter what. You don't have to sneak around – well, now you do because of this whole arranged marriage thing, but you do not have to hide from _me_, ever."

Katherine looks away, breathing heavily.

"You can always trust me. Your happiness is all I care about," she insists. Katherine just nods her head, still looking away. Sighing, Regina stands up. "Now, it's been a long day for both of us, even longer and more exhausting for you with all the traveling through the snow and climbing out of windows, so you better get some rest."

Regina squeezes her hand and kisses the top of her head before turning around and making her way toward the door.

"Mom?" Katherine's shaky voice stops her before she can reach the handle.

Regina turns around to find Katherine looking at her, her eyes full of unshed tears. In a moment, Regina is back beside her daughter, wrapping her arms around her and pulling her close.

For a second, it reminds Regina of the times when she was just a little girl who was afraid of the dark or a girl who missed her father dearly, and she feels tears filling her own eyes. How did she grow up so quickly? How did the fear of dark change into the fear of the caged future so quickly?

"What is it?" Regina asks, stroking Katherine's back.

Taking a shaky breath, Katherine pulls away from her. She brushes the wild locks away from her face and wipes the tears away from her cheeks. "You'll hate me for it," she whispers, her lower lip trembling.

"What? Of course not. I could never hate you." Regina assures her, taking her hand in hers.

Her heart beats a rhythm as she watches Katherine struggle to find the words. What could have happened that she thinks Regina would hate her?

"I'm in love with a woman," she whispers so quietly that Regina barely hears it, and buries her face in her hands.

What?

For a few moments Regina is completely still, the words echoing in her head over and over again.

Her daughter is in love with a woman.

Quickly snapping out of her daze, Regina gently pulls Katherine's hands away from her face and lifts her chin until Katherine is looking at her.

"I don't hate you for it, my dear. I could never hate you," Regina insists, her words clear and firm, without hesitation. "You can love whoever you want, and as long as you're happy, I'll be happy too."

"But mom, I-" she trails off, tears falling down her cheeks. "But it's not normal. It's… wrong."

"How can loving someone not be normal? My darling, there's nothing wrong with you. The only wrong thing is how the world chooses to put stereotypes on everything and put us into cages." Wiping away the tears from Katherine's cheeks, Regina continues, "I'm so happy for you. I'm so happy that you've found someone to love and that someone feels the same for you."

Tears start falling down Regina's cheeks when Katherine throws herself into her arms, sobbing. It takes all of her willpower not to break down as well, but she quickly blinks the tears away and strokes her daughter's back, rocking back and forth slowly, whispering reassuring words into her ear.

(…)

"So, tell me all the details," Regina says after they've finally both calmed down and are laying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "Is she a good kisser?"

"Mom!" Katherine exclaims, putting her hands on her face, her cheeks turning pink.

Regina laughs. "What? I want to know everything about your life."

"Do you really want to know?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, you know, because it's… a woman."

"Katherine," Regina starts lifting herself up on her elbow and turning to face her daughter. "I don't care if it's a woman. I don't care at all as long as you're happy."

Katherine tears up again, but this time quickly wipes the tears away and clears her throat. "Well, if you really want to know, she's amazing."

A small smile spreads across her face for the first time that night, or more precisely, that morning, and Regina cannot help but smile as well.

All of a sudden there's a knock on the door, and then it's opened and Robin walks in. When he sees Regina and Katherine laying in bed, both of them in their night clothes, he frowns.

"Regina, I've been looking for you," he starts, but then stops and shakes his head. "May I ask what you're still doing in your pajamas? It's after 10."

"You don't want to know," Regina replies smiling conspiratorially at Katherine. "Now get out of here, we still haven't slept."

Robin opens his mouth to argue, but one look from Regina and he turns around and walks out, shaking his head in disbelief.

They spent the rest of their day sleeping.

(…)

When Regina finally gets up later, it's already dark outside. She spends a few more minutes in bed until she finally forces herself to get up. After dressing and brushing her hair, she goes to the kitchen only to find out that she's missed dinner. The maids, however, quickly prepare something to eat for her, telling her that Katherine and Robin disappeared into their rooms a few hours ago.

Once she finishes the meal, Regina makes her way back upstairs. After making sure that this time Katherine is indeed in her bed and hadn't snuck out somewhere again, she makes her way towards the guest rooms where Robin is staying.

He's sitting at the desk, writing something down on paper, but as soon as Regina walks inside, he quickly looks up. "What are you doing here?" he asks, surprised. "Do you know that there's this thing called knocking? I could've been naked."

"I wouldn't see anything that I haven't seen before," Regina smirks at him, and then becomes serious. "I need you to come with me."

Robin frowns. "What? Where?"

"Can you for once in your life stop asking stupid questions and just do what you're told?"

Robin rolls his eyes, but then blows out the candle and follows Regina out of the room. She leads him downstairs to the kitchen and then toward the servants' quarters. Robin walks behind her, no questions asked, but she can feel his confusion even without seeing his face.

When they reach the end of the dark corridor, Regina quickly finds the hidden handle, unlocks the secret door and pushes it open.

Robin lets out a breath of surprise. "Where are we going?" he asks when they start descending narrow stairs into the darkness.

"Are you afraid?" Regina asks, turning to look at him over her shoulder, a wicked smile spreading across her face.

"Should I be?"

Regina grins to herself, but doesn't reply.

Finally they reach the end of the stairs and enter the vault. Regina fumbles a little until she finds the candle and lights it, illuminating the whole room.

"Where are we?" Robin asks, his voice full of surprise and wonder.

"The vault," Regina replies before walking further inside.

It's been years since she's been here, even more years since she practiced magic for the last time. Everything is dusty, and so are her skills, but once a witch, always a witch.

"So the rumors were true," Robin says from behind her, looking around in awe. "You and your mother are witches."

Regina hums in response. "If you tell anyone about it, I'll turn you into a pig," she threatens, delving through the drawers for what she might need for the spell.

"You can actually do that?" Robin asks, sitting down on the chair at the empty table.

"Do you want to try and find out?"

"I'm good, thanks."

Regina laughs.

Once she has everything she needs, she brings all of the things to the tiny table and sits down as well. Robin is sitting in front of her, and even though she's not looking at him, she can feel his eyes boring into her soul.

Annoyed, she looks up. "What?"

Robin blinks and states, "You're stunning, Regina, in every way."

For a moment, Regina doesn't know what to say. Should she take his appreciation as a good sign or should she be worried that he's not afraid of her magic and might use it against her one day? She settles on her usual reaction at most things he does - rolling her eyes - and returns back to the book in front of her.

She can analyze all of this later.

"So you'll be making this potion instead of your friend Mal?" Robin asks then, shifting in his place.

"Yes," Regina nods her head, flipping through the pages of her mother's spell book until she finds the recipe for the potion. "Mal would never help me, there's bad blood between us."

"Might I ask why?"

"She wanted me to be someone I am not. A witch."

Robin laughs at that. "I thought you couldn't choose whether or not you want to be a witch. You're just… born with power."

"That's true," Regina nods her head, pushing the book away. "But I didn't want to practice magic; I didn't want to be like my mother. The power you get, the feeling, the possession of magic is empowering, but once it devours you, you can never go back. I didn't want that."

"Do you think Katherine is a witch, too?"

"No," Regina replies. "She's not. And I've never been more grateful for anything in my life."

He nods and doesn't say anything else, letting her concentrate on the task at hand.

Even though it's been years since she made her last potion, her hands seem to remember everything like it was yesterday. Pouring and mixing comes naturally: she mixes the ingredients quickly until there's only one component left.

"Give me your hand," Regina asks Robin, and he widens his eyes.

"No!"

"No?"

"No."

"Don't be childish, Robin," Regina groans.

Grimacing, he stretches his hand towards her and Regina grabs it quickly, her other hand holding a knife. He watches her like a gawk as she brings the blade closer to his skin and then prods his finger quickly, a tiny drop of blood appearing.

He didn't even feel it.

Regina smirks at him before adding a drop of blood into the potion and mixing it a few times. Then she closes her eyes and whispers the enchantment, rubbing the glass bottle between her palms until there's a flash of heat.

"All done," she states.

She stands up and gathers all of the things from the table, putting them back into their places before turning to Robin. "We can go now."

He seems to be in a daze, for he stands up slowly, takes one more look around, and then asks, "What's in these boxes?"

"The hearts of my enemies," Regina replies, before blowing up the candle and leaving them in complete darkness.

Robin groans.

(…)

Looking at the potion in her hands, Regina bites her bottom lip.

If it all goes south and George catches them or figures out their plan, there's no way they'll escape the wedding or the merge of their lands. Perhaps Katherine's life wouldn't be a complete disaster in their current circumstances, but it would definitely be a living hell if George knew about their little heist.

"Katherine needs to stay at the Merry Men's camp until we are sure Roland is saved," Regina states, making both Robin and Katherine look up from the packed bags in front of them, confusion written all over their faces.

"What?"

"If it all goes badly and we're caught, you cannot be here." Regina explains, looking at Katherine. "We'll say you were kidnapped or whatever else we can come up with, and you'll be safe and won't have to marry that bastard James if we screw up."

"I will not hide," Katherine argues, crossing her arms over her chest, annoyed.

Robin seems to realize what Regina is saying and nods his head in agreement. "Your mother is right. Darling, please-"

"No!" She exclaims, looking from Regina to Robin. "I am not afraid of these idiots. I'm not afraid of anyone. I can fight them, but I will never hide."

"Don't be childish!" Regina interrupts, her voice loud and stern. "If things take a wrong turn and your father or I end up being caught, everything's over. You don't want to marry James, right? So this time you need to suck up your heroic ideals and go into hiding until we make sure that everything's all right. Or you can risk it all and end up tied to that bastard for the rest of your life. The choice is yours."

Katherine opens her mouth to argue, tears of anger in her eyes, but nothing comes out.

"It's settled then," Regina states. "Tomorrow morning you're leaving with your father."

Katherine shrieks and storms out of the room, shutting the door loudly behind her.

"That was harsh," he points out, glancing at Regina.

"It was," she agrees, "But we want her safe, and if the only way to make her see that it's not time to act bravely is to show her the harsh truth, then so be it,"

Robin nods his head in agreement. Then, sighing, he goes to the cabinet and takes out two glasses and a bottle of wine. After pouring the liquid into the glass, he makes his way to bed and sits down beside Regina.

She takes the glass from him gladly and takes a sip immediately, her hands shaking a bit from the fight with Katherine. She tries to breathe deeply to calm her rapidly beating heart, lost in her thoughts.

"I'm glad I was forced to marry you, you know," Robin's voice snaps her out of her daze, making her blink rapidly and turn to look at him.

"Why is that?" Regina asks after taking a sip of her drink.

"If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have such a fierce daughter," he grins.

"Admit it, you hate that she's so like me."

"Sometimes I do, but most of the time I'm in awe. She is just as fierce and stubborn as you are, but she's also kind and has such a huge heart." He then brings his glass against hers and clinks it. "To our wonderful daughter, Katherine Regina Locksley Mills."

For a few moments they sit in silence, both thinking deeply about the upcoming fight, until Regina asks quietly, uncertainty, "Do you think we will succeed?"

Robin stays quiet for a moment, his voice as uncertain as hers when he replies, "I hope so."

Regina sighs.

She hopes so too.

(…)

"Stay safe, my darling," Regina says the next morning, kissing the top of Katherine's head.

Her daughter is still pissed at her, so she just nods her head and gets on her horse. Robin sighs and looks at Regina with sympathy.

He then surprises Regina by walking up to her and wrapping her in his arms.

"If it all goes terribly-" he starts, but Regina is quick to cut him off.

"It won't," she insists. "In less than a week your son will be safe, our daughter will be free and everything will be back to normal."

Robin nods his head. But the look in his eyes gives him away – he doesn't believe it.

He hugs Regina one more time, thanking her for everything and wishing her good luck before he too gets on his horse, and together they disappear into the darkness of an early morning.

If a few tears fall down Regina's cheeks, nobody is there to witness them.

(…)

Regina paces back and forth in the work room, her heart trying to jump out of her chest. She doesn't know if it's the excitement that she's finally going to see the hilarious expression on George's face when he realizes that the merge of their lands isn't happening or if it's the realization that Robin and his men are going to risk everything to save Roland.

Either way, it's driving her insane.

When George finally shows up at the exact time Regina requested him to be there, she sighs with a little bit of relief. She invites him to the work room and offers him a drink while all she wants to do is punch him in the face. She'll do it later.

"Your invitation was very unexpected," he states after he's sat down and taken a sip of his drink. "I thought I wouldn't hear from you until the wedding."

"Well, I'm full of surprises," she replies, walking closer to him.

"So, what is it about? Obviously it's not a friendly invitation to discuss the wedding details, for I assume your precious husband told you what all of this is about," he states. "I can see how much you hate me, but dear, there's no way for you or your stupid family to escape this. _You_ might've escaped the wedding with James, but your daughter won't. Our lands will finally be merged whether you like it or not."

Regina breathes in, trying to rein in her anger. She has to wait a few more minutes, she has to keep him here a little bit longer to leave the Merry Men enough time to get Roland and disappear into the woods.

"You will no longer be the Queen," George continues, a disgusting smile spreading across his face. "Oh, I cannot wait to see the mighty Queen fall. I'll make sure to take everything from you and make your daughter's life a living hell."

His last sentence breaks all the self-control Regina has left.

Exhaling, she turns around slowly, places her glass on the desk and grabs the blade lying there. Her movements are quick and considered, and in a moment the sharp end of the knife is against George's throat.

His eyes widen is shock, his breathing stopping for a minute.

This time, it is Regina who grins.

"My daughter will not marry your bastard son, you foolish idiot!" She hisses, pressing the blade tighter against his throat. If he so much as swallows hard, he'll cut himself. "Our lands are ours and you'll never get them. And you'll never get my daughter."

"Oh, Regina," he tries to pull away a bit, tries to chuckle, but she shuts him up with her look.

God, she feels powerful.

"If you ever try to touch my family again, I'll slit your throat, don't doubt me," she warns and then pulls away, straightening her dress.

"So I see you don't care about Robin's stupid son - good, but don't forget that I can hurt Katherine, too," George says, his voice a bit shaky as he stands up from the chair. Regina doesn't miss the way he stumbles; she's scared the bastard.

"Who said I don't care about Roland?" Regina asks nonchalantly, taking the glass into her hand again, a wicked smile spreading across her face. "The boy is safe with his father."

George's face falls. It takes him a moment to realize what is actually happening here.

"You bitch" he hisses, walking closer to her, but the guard from outside walks in and grabs him, dragging him out of the room. Furious, George still warns her, "You're going to regret this, Regina."

"Will I?"

George gives her a hard look before he's dragged out of the room and out of the castle.

Regina grins to herself. She's always dreamt about this moment.

(…)

The very same day, Regina leaves the castle and travels to Sherwood Forest. The journey is hard and long, so much longer now that December has reached its peak. The snow is everywhere, so her carriage barely makes it through the snowy roads, but despite that, after hours of traveling, Regina finally reaches the Sherwood palace.

The maids greet her without surprise this time and immediately tell her that His Majesty has returned and is in his room.

Regina makes her way straight there, her heart beating anxiously in her chest.

How is Roland, she wonders. Is he injured? Is he all right?

When she reaches Robin's chambers, she knocks lightly on the door before slowly opening it and peeking inside.

Robin is laying in the middle of the bed with a small boy on his chest. She cannot see the child well since his face is turned away from her, but he has dark tangled curls on his head which instantly remind her of Marian.

"How is he?" Regina whispers, carefully walking further into the room.

"He's terrified and exhausted, but he'll be all right, I hope," Robin whispers back, rubbing a comforting circle over the boy's back. "John went to find a healer to make sure that Roland doesn't have any serious injuries that we cannot see."

Regina nods her head, feeling a lump in her throat. This innocent boy went through so much.

"How are you?" Robin asks then, gesturing for her to sit on the edge of the bed.

"I'm fine, everything's fine," Regina assures him, the corners of her mouth curling up at the memory of having a blade pressed against George's throat. "You should've seen his face."

Robin chuckles quietly and continues to rub Roland's back.

They talk about saving Roland, about what they're going to do now and what all of this means for Roland. When Regina finally gets a good look at Roland, she cannot help but point out that the boy, just like Katherine, does not look like Robin at all.

"Wait till you see him smile," Robin says, feigning offense, but a smile never falls from his face.

When the healer comes, Roland wakes up. He starts crying immediately, holding on to Robin tightly, refusing to let go of his father even for a second. He looks around the room with huge terrified eyes and when he sees Regina, another stranger in the room, he starts crying even harder.

It takes a lot of reassurance from Robin and John before the healer finally is able to examine him. The old man states that he's not injured physically, but they'll need a lot of patience while his mind gets back on track.

The doctor leaves quickly afterwards with a promise to come tomorrow for another visit just in case he missed something. Soon John leaves too, with a big bag full of food and drinks to celebrate the success of their adventure with the men.

It's only Regina, Robin and Roland then, who doesn't even glance in her direction as he keeps holding onto Robin, his face buried in his father's chest.

"You really need a bath," Regina points out, wrinkling her nose at Robin in disgust. He has blood all over his clothes – not his own blood, she hopes- and dirt and he… smells. And she's not going to talk about a bird's nest on his head.

Robin laughs at that and nods his head.

"No," Roland whispers quietly, shaking his head. He tightens his hold on Robin's hand, eyes already full of tears when he looks at his father.

"Roland, baby, I'll just be in the other room," Robin promises, but Roland keeps shaking his head, refusing to let go.

"No."

"I'll stay with you," Regina offers tentatively, and Roland glances at her before quickly turning away again. "While your daddy washes all that dirt away, we could read a story, what do you think?" She asks, moving a little bit closer.

"Don't you want to read a story?" Robin asks, looking at Roland. "I heard Regina is an excellent story reader. And you know who else she is?"

"Who?"

"A Queen,"

Roland turns to look at her then, and this time he doesn't look away as soon as their eyes meet. It takes a few encouragements from both Robin and Regina until finally the boy releases Robin and lets Regina take the place beside him on the bed.

She tucks him in like she used to do with Katherine and taps his nose playfully, but Roland doesn't smile at her like she expected him to. He watches her every movement with wide distrustful eyes. Sighing, Regina takes the book Robin's holding and then he disappears into the wash room, promising Roland to return in a minute.

Surprisingly, Roland falls asleep not long after Robin leaves.

The exhaustion of the day finally catches up to Regina, and before she even realizes it, she's fallen asleep beside Roland, the book still in her hands.

(…)

When Regina wakes up, she's disoriented. For a few moments she stares at the ceiling trying to figure out where the hell she is, until finally she rolls onto her side and sees Roland sleeping beside her and Robin, who's laying on the other side of his son, looking at her.

"Good morning," he whispers quietly.

"Good morning," she replies, her mind still a little bit clouded from sleep. "What time is it?"

"It's just after 8AM," Robin says, his eyes never leaving hers. He's looking at her as if she is someone special and it has her feeling uncomfortable, shifting and sitting up.

"Why didn't you wake me up yesterday?" she asks as she gets out of bed. She's still in her dress from the previous night, the fabric rumpled now.

"You deserved some rest." Robin sits up a bit too. "Where are you going?" he asks when Regina makes her way toward the door.

She… honestly, she doesn't know where she is going. She doesn't know why, but waking up in the same bed with Robin has thrown her off, even if there was a child between them and obviously nothing happened. Still with all of her thoughts lately, she feels that it is inappropriate.

That she shouldn't be there. With him. With them.

"Regina?"

"I-I have to go," she murmurs and turns around to leave, but Robin is there before she can open the door.

He grabs her hand gently and makes her turn around until they're standing face to face.

"Regina," he whispers her name, making goosebumps appear on her skin – there are so many emotions in it. "Do you know how much it means to me that you agreed to risk it all for my boy?" Robin asks, looking straight into her eyes so she doesn't miss the tears forming at the corners of his. "I might've hated you in the beginning, but now I realize that apart from my children, you're the best thing that ever happened to me."

Regina blinks once, twice, trying to understand what she's just heard.

Did he really say that?

Unable to move, Regina watches as Robin takes a step closer to her and then lifts his hand to stroke her cheek lovingly, in a way he never has, in a way that makes her heart beat faster and faster. He's leaning over, he's going to kiss her and she's paralyzed.

Roland's whimpers stop them right before their lips touch. Robin pulls away immediately and makes his way to the bed where Roland is twisting and turning, leaving Regina standing there, stunned.

While Robin slowly wakes his son up, Regina finally recovers and quickly leaves the room, her heart still beating wildly in her chest.

She almost kissed her husband.

What does it all mean?

(…)

Regina's sudden plan to leave collapses when the storm hits out of nowhere. The snow is everywhere, the roads are very impassable now. It's impossible to travel and see Katherine, impossible to go home, so she's forced to stay.

Despite the confusion within her heart, staying turns out to be one of the best decisions she's ever made.

She stays with them for five days in the Sherwood palace and it turns out to be wonderful. Roland keeps getting better with each day, he is out of bed and exploring the castle with Robin and Regina (it turns out he's never been in the palace, he's always lived with the merry men at the camp). They play and read stories and even bake an apple pie that Regina used to bake with Katherine every Christmas when she was still a little girl.

When Roland finally falls asleep the awkward feeling returns, but Robin can read her well (she doesn't know how) and he senses that whatever he did the other day made her uncomfortable, so he doesn't try to kiss her anymore, doesn't talk about how important she is to him now. Instead he tells her about how the Merry Men were born, how they started their work. He tells her about Marian and how they fell in love, he tells her everything.

And Regina realizes that maybe, just maybe, he's not the jerk she always thought he was.

(…)

When the storm finally passes, Robin and Regina finally leave the castle and travel to the Merry Men's camp to see Katherine and take her home. Their journey is long, but it passes quickly because they finally have something to talk about. They share stories, and chuckle at the thought that Granny Lucas, Robin's cook, who agreed to take care of Roland while they were gone, will be exhausted after she spends the whole day in the kitchen with Roland running around.

As soon as they reach the camp, Regina sees Katherine standing by the fire. Mulan is there with her, both of them laughing, but it doesn't stop Regina from running straight to her daughter and wrapping her into a tight hug.

"Oh my dear," Regina whispers, holding her daughter close. She doesn't even realize when tears start falling down her cheeks, and it only makes her hold Katherine tighter.

"Mom?" Katherine murmurs against Regina's coat, surprised by the unexpected visit.

Regina refuses to let go of Katherine for a few moments until she finally releases her and quickly wipes at her cheeks. "How are you, honey?"

"I'm fine." Katherine assures her. "How is Roland?"

"He's fine, too," Robin replies from behind Regina and hugs Katherine quickly, kissing the top of her head.

For a moment, Regina is jealous. He's seen her during the span of time that she didn't see Katherine, he was here before breaking into George's castle and right after. And she hasn't. She's been living in hell, not knowing whether her baby girl was safe with these savage men, whether she found shelter in this camp.

Katherine offers them a cup of tea and they sit around the fire to warm up. She then tells Regina about her adventures in the woods, about building a fire and hunting, and that she's finally learned to shoot arrows and find her own food.

Regina listens, fascinated and horrified at the same time.

"It's a good thing you can come back home now," Regina says, sighing. "You will not have to hunt and roast your own food anymore."

Katherine shifts a bit and glances at Robin.

"What?" Regina asks, confused.

"About that…" Katherine starts, inhaling sharply, "Mom, I don't want to come back."

"What?"

"It's just that… I feel happy here."

"You feel happy?" Regina asks, throwing the cup on the snow and spilling the tea. She stands up. "You like sleeping on dirt and using pine cones for money?" she asks, irritated.

"Mom, listen-"

"No! This is bullshit," she states. "You're not staying here. You're coming back with me to the Enchanted Forest. We're going to forget that this ever happened and –"

"No, mom!"

"Regina-" Robin tries to say but Regina turns to him, her eyes burning.

"You're taking her side, of course. You are proud that your daughter wants to be a bandit. Of course you are."

"Mom, this is my decision. This is my life. I want this."

Regina shakes her head before putting her hands on her face and groaning. This is insane, her daughter just lost her mind.

"And what are you going to do here? Risk your life every day running around with these burglars?"

"No, I'll be free!" Katherine shouts. "I want to live my life the way I want to. And you've always promised me that you'll support me no matter what. So prove that to me."

"Katherine-"

"I like being here. I like the Merry Men, I like what they are doing and … my heart has been here for months," she says, turning over her shoulder to the dark haired woman standing behind her.

When Katherine laces her fingers with Mulan's, Regina's eyes widen in surprise.

Mulan?

There are so many questions running through her head, she wants to scream and sob all at once. Instead, she pushes all of it down and exhales. If Katherine's already decided, there's nothing and no one who can change her mind.

Regina stands there for a few moments just looking at her daughter and trying to process all of this before she finally sighs and asks as calmly as possible, "Are you sure?"

"I am."

"Then be free," Regina tells her then, nodding, even though everything in her body is screaming at her.

Tears are falling down her cheeks, but Regina keeps smiling. If her daughter is happy, then so is she.

When Katherine wraps her arms around her, Regina finally breaks down.

"If you ever want to come home, I'll always be waiting for you," Regina whispers, and Katherine nods her head, her own tears flowing freely now.

"I know."

(...)

As soon as they return to the Sherwood palace, Regina decides to leave. She doesn't want to stay here anymore; she wants to go home, lock herself away from the world for a few days and think about what has just happened – she's just lost her daughter and has some mixed feelings for her husband.

"You could stay and spend Christmas with us," Robin suggests when Regina's carriage stops at the entrance.

"I need to go home."

Her reply is firm, and Robin doesn't argue.

"All right," he nods his head and takes her hand in his, squeezing it. "Thank you, Regina, for everything," he says, looking straight into her eyes before releasing her hand.

Regina turns around immediately and goes to her carriage.

(…)

On Christmas morning, Regina sleeps in. She stays in bed until late in the afternoon, until her stomach is growling so loudly and annoyingly that she has no other choice but to go downstairs and eat something. After leaving the warmth of her bed, she puts on a thick robe and makes her way downstairs.

Ever since she returned from Sherwood Forest, she's been … confused. She doesn't know how to reconcile with the fact that Katherine isn't going to return, that she's left her home forever. Being alone has never bothered Regina, but now, for some reason, she misses having someone around.

She's confused about her feelings for Robin, too. She's finally acknowledged that there are real feelings and now she doesn't know what to do about it. Should she just let it all go, or should she act on it?

Who knew that this whole situation could throw her off so much?

On her way to the kitchen, she catches a glimpse of a pine tree standing in the middle of the guest room. It's decorated with shiny ornaments just like every year, but it doesn't bring a smile to Regina's face. Instead it reminds her of who she's lost.

It's her first Christmas without her baby. It's the first time that they didn't decorate the tree together and didn't bake the apple pie on Christmas Eve. Instead of listening to Katherine singing Christmas carols, Regina spent her evening with a bottle of wine.

Katherine is happy, Regina reminds herself, trying to push all of the bad thoughts away.

All of a sudden she hears an unexpected sound.

A quiet, muffled giggle of a child in the guest room has Regina narrowing her eyes and hastening her steps. Instead of going to the kitchen, she turns towards the decorated room.

To her ultimate surprise, Robin and Roland are there.

Both of them are sitting in front of a Christmas tree, candles lit all around the room. Robin is putting decorated boxes under the Christmas tree while Roland is peeking inside the huge red bag they must've brought with them.

Stunned, Regina leans against the wall and watches as father and son finish putting the presents under the tree. Roland then pulls out a box of gingerbread cookies from the bag and puts it on the small table in the room.

"Regina!" the boy exclaims when he finally catches Regina standing there. "Merry Christmas!" he shouts as he runs towards her.

He crashes right into her, making her wobble on her feet. She doesn't find it in herself to scold him, she smiles despite herself and picks him up, lifting him onto her hip. She pecks his cheeks, making him giggle and squirm in her hold.

He seems so much better now.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Roland."

When she finally looks away from Roland, she finds Robin standing by the fireplace, smiling sheepishly. "Merry Christmas, Regina."

"Merry Christmas, Robin," she returns, a huge smile spreading over her face.

"I hope you don't mind having us here."

"No, I really don't," Regina admits, honestly.

"We brought you presents and cookies!" Roland says excitedly, making Regina smile at him. God, she's only known this boy for a few weeks, but his dimpled smile and dark brown eyes have stolen her heart already.

Roland squirms out of Regina's hold and when she puts him down, he grabs her hand and drags her towards the tree, explaining excitedly about how Santa has visited them and left so many things for Roland because he's such a brave boy.

Regina's smile only grows.

(…)

They spend the whole day together – first they open up the presents, then eat lunch and then finally eat the cookies with hot milk. Roland plays with his new toys while Robin and Regina talk, smiling goofily at each other the whole time.

When Roland finally falls asleep on the couch in the guest room, Regina and Robin prepare a little picnic for themselves in front of the fireplace. They pour themselves some wine, some fruit and, of course, the apple pie which Roland and Regina baked again, and sit down on the blanket.

Robin's eyes are sparkling with joy, and Regina is pretty damn sure that hers are, too. They clink their glasses together, and when Robin takes a sip of his drink, Regina cannot help thinking just how blessed she is. Tears well up in her eyes and she desperately tries to blink them away but Robin still notices.

"What is it?" he asks, his hand stroking her cheek lovingly.

"I just never thought I'd have this," Regina admits.

Robin just smiles at her, his warm smile making her heart beat even faster. He puts his glass on the floor before scooting closer. He cups her face in his hands and wipes away the wetness on her cheeks with his thumbs. "Maybe it's all about timing, my darling," he says, "Maybe we were supposed to break up only to be reunited again. This time for a lifetime."

When he leans over for the first kiss, it is Regina who closes the final inch between them. Their lips touch in a warm and loving kiss, one that has Regina's heart stopping in her chest for a second. Her arms find their way around Robin's neck as if they've done it a thousand times before, and his own arms wrap around her and pull her close.

When they're both breathless, they part. There's a goofy smile on Robin's face and Regina's grinning so widely her face is going to split in two, but she doesn't care at all.

She's happy.

For the first time in her life, she's finally really happy.

"You're stunning, milady," Robin says, biting his lip, and Regina rolls her eyes. He's such a sap.

Robin intertwines their fingers and leans over again, this time first brushing their noses together before kissing her on the lips again.

"Do you think Katherine's happy?" Regina asks when they're laying together on the blanket, Regina's head on Robin's chest.

"I know she is," Robin assures her, rubbing circles on her back. "She's just like a bird who's been locked in a cage all her life and now she's finally set free. She's going to fall down, I have no doubt, and maybe she'll return home someday, but I sincerely believe that she belongs there, in the woods."

"I hope so."

"Are _you_ happy?" Robin asks then after a moment of silence.

Regina lifts her head from his chest so she can look him in the eye. She pecks his lips quickly before admitting. "Now I am," she tells him truthfully, a silly smile spreading across her face.

"So am I, darling. I finally have everything I've ever wanted." Robin returns her smile before he presses his lips against hers again, again and again.

THE END

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Thank you for reading!


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